Organization XIII's New Members
by vampiresakura14
Summary: After Sora and the others finish up at Castle Oblivion, Organization XIII's numbers aren't looking good. Then, Roxas leaves, making them desperate. Xemnes decides to recruit a few new members, namely Yugi, Seto, and Bakura.


disclaimer : i do not now, nor will i ever, own Kingdom Hearts or anything affiliated with it. sniffs... sobs... breaks down into tears...

Enjoy!

Chapter One: The New Numbers

In a dark chamber hidden in a world that never was, one man stood, his head shrouded by a hood on his long black coat, hands behind his back, waiting. He had summoned three members of his organization; they were numbers VII, VIII, and IX, and they should be on their way. The man had a very important assignment for them.

Moments later, three more cloaked and hooded figures appeared from the darkness, and stood silently in front of their leader, waiting for instruction. The first man looked at the other three for a moment, and then spoke in a deep voice.

"Greetings," he said, inclining his head slightly. "You three have been called here for a very important mission.

"Because of recent events, our numbers have lessened considerably. And, with the flight of the Organization's number XIII, we have lost nearly half of our ranks."

The figure on the far right shifted slightly at the mention of number XIII, but otherwise said nothing. This was not hidden from the eyes of their leader, however. He sighed as he turned to look at the figure that had moved.

"I realize that you are especially troubled by number XIII's, shall we say, resignation," he said to the figure. "But you must not let that distract you from your assignment."

There was no reply, so the man continued.

"You three are to go out to one of the worlds and each find one person to replace a few of the members we've lost. The world has already been chosen and you will soon have the knowledge of its whereabouts. But first, your instructions."

He held out his hand, palm facing up, and three minuscule keys appeared from a cloud of darkness. They floated over his hand for a split second and then drifted over to the three hooded figures, which each held out their hands in turn to catch them.

"These Keyblades may look like nothing at first," said the man, "but they will prove to be a helpful asset in your mission.

"When you arrive in the world chosen, you will hold these keys in the palm of your hands and they will act like a compass, the end pointing to one with an exceptionally strong heart.

"When you've found the right person, simply plunge the blade into their heart and the Keyblade will unlock it and take it for our own. Not only will this help rebuild the Organization, but it will also add a few strong hearts to our Kingdom Hearts."

The three nodded as their leader finished.

"We will not fail you sir," said the one in the middle.

"Good," said the leader. "Now, for the location of the world."

He waved his hand and an illusion of a world appeared in the middle of the room. It was mostly covered in tall buildings, with one skyscraper poking out in the very center. There were also a few smaller buildings near the edges of the city.

"This is the city of Domino," said the man. "Now that you've seen it, you should have no trouble getting there through the Realm of Darkness. I bid you farewell, and good luck, numbers VII, VIII, and IX. Säix, Axel, and Demyx."

As he addressed each one by their name they let down their hoods. The first, in the middle, had long blue hair, cold gray eyes and a cross-shaped scar in the center of his face. The second, the one who had shifted before, had flaming red hair that spiked back magnificently, his green eyes dancing playfully in the darkness. And the third on the far left had sandy brown hair that spiked on the top, watery blue eyes, and a smile as playful as the red head's eyes.

All three clutched the miniature Keyblades in their hands and, without further ado, disappeared as they were wrapped in tight blankets of darkness.

- - - - -

On the outskirts of Domino city, Säix, Axel, and Demyx appeared side by side as they emerged from the Realm of Darkness.

"Here is where we split up," said Säix. "Axel, you will take the right side. Demyx, to the left. I will take the middle. We will meet back in the city of The World That Never Was."

Demyx looked sheepish as he looked out at the city.

"Do I really have to go alone?" he asked.

Säix ignored him.

"Be sure you control yourself," he said to Axel. "Roxas' departure has changed you in an unpleasant way. Don't let it distract you."

"Yeah, yeah," Axel said indifferently. "I hear that enough from everyone else. I'm here, aren't I? So, let's go."

He disappeared and, a few seconds later, the other two followed suit.

Axel soon reappeared in an alley, his hood up, and he scanned the passing crowds, holding out the palm of his hand, which held the small Keyblade. It swiveled back and forth in his palm until it stopped dead and followed a passing limousine.

"_Well, that was fast,"_ he thought and silently chased after the car, blending unnoticed in the crowds as he wended through the shadows. He sent a mental message to the others. _"Hey, guys, I think I've found my target. How about you?"_

"_I think I've found a likely specimen,"_ said Säix's voice. _"Demyx says he's found someone, but it might take a while."_

"_Whatever," _Axel replied. _"See you back at base."_

He broke the connection and continued his chase. The limo soon stopped outside the tallest building in the city, and Axel stopped not far away and watched as a young man stepped out of the vehicle. He had short but somewhat dark brown hair, and he was wearing a white cloak over black shirt and pants, a suitcase in his hand. As Axel watched him, he noticed the key was pointing to him, so he followed.

Axel slipped through the front doors unnoticed and watched the young man enter an elevator, which ascended to the top floor. Axel disappeared and reappeared in a deserted hallway on the top floor and ducked behind a corner as his target entered an office flanked by two security guards just down the hall. Smirking at the feeble protection, Axel clicked his fingers and two white Dusks appeared beside the guards. Before they could react, the Nobodies attacked, and their hearts floated away a second later. The Dusks vanished, their job complete.

Axel approached the door and floated through it like a ghost, emerging on the other side as silently as ever. He saw that his target was busy with his head facing downward, and he stepped forward.

- - - - -

Seto sat behind his office desk and immediately immersed himself in his work. There was so much he had to do today for his company, and he did not want to waste any time with distractions. A moment later, however, he heard footsteps in front of him and felt a twinge of annoyance.

"I'm working," he said without looking up, thinking it was his secretary or something. "I thought I told you not to disturb me today."

"Guess I missed the memo," said a smooth voice Seto did not recognize. He quickly looked up and saw a tall hooded man walking up to his desk.

"Who are you?" Seto said aggressively, standing. "How did you get passed my guards? Leave, before I call security."

"Do you mean those pathetic men outside the door?" the hooded man asked. "They were in my way, so I took care of them."

Seto took a step backward. Was this man implying that he had killed Seto's guards? He could be dealing with a murderer. At that thought, Seto quickly opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a pistol, but by the time he looked back up the man had vanished. Seto glanced around, pointing the gun left and right as he went around his desk toward the door.

"Over here," said a voice and Seto whirled around, clutching the gun in both hands. The man was leaning against Seto's desk, his demeanor showing a hint of amusement.

Seto was close enough to the door now. He took one more step back and then bolted for the door. The man just clicked his fingers and two horrible looking white creatures appeared out of nowhere, blocking the door. They swayed ominously, back and forth and back and forth, it was almost hypnotizing. Seto pointed the gun at them but their swaying distracted him, and one of the creatures grabbed the gun from his slackened grip and threw it across the room.

Defenseless, Seto turned back around and found himself face to face with the hooded man.

"Who or what are you?" Seto said fearfully, yet determined. He was not about to die here.

"The name's Axel," said the man. "Memorize it, 'cause you'll be living with it for a long time."

He put his hand out in front of him and a giant black key appeared in his hand. Like a sword, he gripped its handle in one hand and, before Seto could react, thrust it right into Seto's heart and gave it a turn. Seto was vaguely aware of a small clicking noise as his vision was clouded with darkness and he fell on his knees.

The man called Axel pulled the key out. Attached to the end was a glowing, ethereal heart. He stabbed it into the floor and a shadow formed around the heart. He pulled the key out of the dark mass now forming before him and Seto watched, as he fell to the floor, a tall black shadow arise from the mass. It had empty glowing eyes and had a great likeness to Seto except for the naked, black, slightly muscular body.

"Welcome to the team," the man said, and Seto fell into darkness.

- - - - -

"Take that back to H.Q.," Axel informed the Dusks, indicating the young man's heartless as it stared about the room. "I'll take care of him," he added pointing at the young man on the floor. The Dusks grabbed the heartless by the arms and disappeared with it.

Axel looked back down at the young man and lowered his hood. The young man's body shimmered and his clothes were soon replaced with a black cloak, gloves and boots identical to Axel's. He was now part of Organization XIII.

- - - - -

Säix appeared behind a group of shrubs just outside a building that looked like a school. He put up his hood and held out the palm of his hand. The key within it swiveled around, searching through the various students dressed in uniform, until it came to rest on a young man on a bench almost directly across from Säix.

Just then, Axel's voice came into his mind.

"_Hey, guys,"_ it said, _"I think I've found my target. How about you?"_

Säix took a moment to talk to Demyx.

"_I think I've found a likely specimen,"_ Säix replied to Axel. _"Demyx says he's found someone, but it might take a while."_

"_Whatever,"_ came Axel's reply. _"See you back at base."_

The connection was broken, and Säix turned his attention back to his target.

The young man had long white hair and he was dressed in a blue uniform. He was sitting alone, scribbling something on a paper pad, his school bag sitting beside him. He seemed to be deeply into whatever he was writing, for he did not move when a loud bell rang out from the school. All the other students hurried inside, while Säix's target kept his seat on the bench, immersed in his writing.

When Säix was sure everyone was gone, he quietly stood and emerged from the bushes. As he stepped forward, his feet making no sound on the pavement, he snapped his fingers and two Dusks came up on either side of his target. The young man looked up and yelped as the Dusks grabbed his arms, the pad and paper dropping to ground.

"Wh-what are these things?" he said in a frightened and confused tone. "L-let me go!"

Then, he noticed Säix approach.

"Wh-who are you?"

"No one of your concern," Säix said. "Yet."

"What do you mean?"

Säix, who didn't feel like answering questions just yet, merely held out his hand and brought out the Dark Keyblade in full size. As he readied to stab the end into the young man's heart, relishing the fear shining in his eyes, something began to glow on the young man's chest. Säix flinched and watched as a golden ring appeared on the young man's chest, held around his neck by a rope. Almost instantly, the Dusks were thrown off of him, and they disappeared into darkness.

"I believe my host asked you a question," said the young man, his voice different from before. It was heavier, as though every word was filled with hatred. "What do you want?"

"You're… different," Säix said, caught off guard for once in his nonexistence. He had never encountered anything like this boy before. What was he?

"Tell me what you want," he said, "and maybe I'll make your death less painful."

At this, Säix almost laughed.

"You would have a very hard time at that," he told him. He lowered his hood, revealing his face to the man. "You see I do not truly exist at all."

"What?" said the man, slightly unnerved.

"Tell me what you are," Säix said, "and I'll tell you what I am."

The man seemed to think about it for a moment. Then, he said, "Alright. I will tell you.

"My name, or rather the name of my host, is Bakura. I am merely a spirit, living inside the Millennium Ring hanging around my neck. I really lived in ancient Egypt, in the time of the pharaohs. Because of events unknown, I was trapped in the ring, and over time was brought back through countless people in my search for the other six Millennium Items.

"I search for the items because when all seven are brought together in the Tablet of the Pharaoh's Memories, they unlock a terrible power of immense evil and darkness. A small piece of which resides in my ring, and I can use it at my own will to bring mortals into a place called the Shadow Realm. There, I am able to gain power by sacrificing mortal souls to the darkness so no one will be able to stop me when I make the ultimate dark power mine."

Bakura finished with a triumphant smirk on his face. Säix thought about his story and found a way he could recruit such a powerful person into the Organization.

"What if," he said softly, "I could give you even greater power, without you having to even lift a finger?"

"Mmm," Bakura mused. "I'm listening."

"I come from an organization of those who have lost their hearts to the darkness. We are an organization of Nobodies, ones who had strong hearts in a former life and, upon losing them, developed a sort of half-life in the heartless husk left behind. In this way, we truly are not meant to exist at all, and are thus destined to return to darkness.

"But, we found a way, as you will soon find out, to make ourselves whole again. To do that, we need to gather more hearts and in order to get hearts, we need to strengthen our forces. That's it in a nutshell. Everything else will become clear later. That is, if you to choose to accept."

Bakura seemed to think this over.

"Well," he said, smirking, "it doesn't seem I have a choice otherwise, do I? You'd take me no matter what I thought.

"Fine, but the only heart in this vessel in that of my host. I'll let you have that."

Pleased, Säix nodded and held out the Keyblade.

The ring around Bakura's neck glowed and he changed again. The young man Säix had first approached reappeared and Säix took his chance. He thrust the key into Bakura's chest and turned it. Bakura gasped as the key was pulled out and his ethereal heart was skewered at the end. Säix plunged the heart into the ground and looked back at Bakura as a shadow enveloped the heart.

Bakura's hair, though still white, became smoother, and a jagged scar adorned his right eye. His body shimmered, and his clothes were soon replaced with a pitch-black cloak, gloves, and boots that matched Säix's. As for the heart, a heartless now stood where it had once been, and it looked a lot like Bakura.

As it was taken away by two more Dusks, a malicious grin played Säix's lips.

"Welcome to Organization XIII," he said. "Bakura."

- - - - -

Demyx sighed as he looked out from his hiding place in the branches of a tree. He had found his target and contacted Säix over an hour ago, but he so far had found no chance to strike.

His target, a small boy with spiked black hair, red highlights, and blonde bangs, was playing an odd card game with a group of people who Demyx guessed were his friends. Demyx had been waiting for these people to leave ever since the little Keyblade had pinpointed this boy, but the game was taking so long.

"Come on, already," Demyx said under his breath. "Man, if I had a heart, I'd say I was bored."

Finally, after another half an hour, one of the holographic monsters that they were playing the game with, the one that looked like a magician in a purple robe, attacked Demyx's target's opponent, apparently ending the game.

"Aw, man!" said the blonde haired man the boy was playing against. "That's the hundredth time today you've beat me!"

The boy laughed.

"Don't be disappointed, Joey," he said to the blonde. "Just because I've beaten you every time, it doesn't mean you won't win the next time."

"Yeah," said a teen with short brown hair, "it just means you're no good at playing."

"What'd you say," said the blonde heatedly, and he stomped over to the brown haired teen.

"Hey, hey!" the boy said, stepping between the two. "Save it for some other time, guys. I have to go right now. If I don't get back to the shop before closing, my grandpa's gonna get mad."

"Fine," the blonde said. "See ya tomorrow, Yugi."

They all waved good-bye to each other and went their separate ways.

"About time," Demyx said to himself, and he quickly followed the boy home.

The boy entered a small game shop not far from where he had been with his friends. Demyx hid in a nearby tree, and, after a minute, he saw the boy through the window of his bedroom. He seemed to be alone.

Demyx hesitated, then he checked the key to make sure it wasn't pointing anywhere else. It was hard to believe that such a kid could have a strong heart.

"_Hey, Axel,"_ he said, extending his thoughts to his fellow organization member. _"D'you think you can help me out?"_

"_With what?"_ came Axel's voice. _"He's just a kid, isn't he?"_

"_Yeah, but…"_

"_Look, Demyx, you don't have a heart, so stop pretending you do. Just go in there and take care of him."_

The connection was broken, and Demyx sighed again. Then, he disappeared in a cloud of darkness to reappear in the boy's room, as silent as ever. He held out his hand and summoned the Dark Keyblade. Positioning himself in a thrust, he took a step forward.

The boy, whose back had been turned, suddenly turned around at the sound of a footstep.

"Who…?" he said, but before he could finish, Demyx had thrust the blade into the boy's chest and turned it.

He inhaled sharply as the blade was pulled out and an ethereal heart was attached to its point. He fell to his knees and Demyx stuck the blade into the floor, and a shadow began to form around the heart. When he looked back at the boy, his clothes had been replaced with a black cloak, gloves, and boots, but there was something else Demyx hadn't noticed before.

A large pendant was hanging around the boy's neck shaped like an upside-down pyramid, an Egyptian eye in the center. It was shining brightly, and boy seemed to change. His hair became ever more spiked and his purple eyes changed from soft and kind, to hard and encouraging.

He propped himself on one foot to keep from falling over and then spoke to Demyx.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice suddenly deep.

When he looked up, he noticed the heartless that now gazed about the room and looked similar to the boy, and his face grew livid.

"What did you do?" he said dangerously, now standing and facing Demyx head on. Demyx noticed he had grown taller. "What did you do to Yugi!" he added in a shout.

"Who?" asked Demyx, not understanding the man.

"Yugi!" he shouted. "What did you do to him?!"

It didn't seem like he would let Demyx answer, for he brought back his hand in a fury and lunged to throw a punch. Demyx threw up his arms in front of his face to guard himself. This had become too much for him to handle. He quickly sent out a distress call to the last person he had contacted.

Before the man's punch could hit, he stopped. Or rather, someone stopped him. Something had grabbed his collar from behind and held him back. He turned to face the new problem and was smartly punched in the face. As he fell to the ground, unconscious, Demyx lowered his arms.

Axel lowered his hood and watched the man fall from his punch. Then, he looked at Demyx.

"You know you could have handled that," he said.

"Yeah," Demyx said. "But, I didn't want to cause a big scene."

"Sure," said Axel, and he summoned two Dusks to take the heartless away.

"Anyway," Demyx said, trying to change the subject, "I don't get what he was saying before you punched him out."

"What?"

"He asked me what I had done to 'Yugi'. I thought his name _was_ Yugi. I heard one of his friends call him that."

Axel thought for a moment.

"Sounds like something close to what Säix got," he said. He turned the man over, revealing the pyramid hanging around his neck. "Yep," he added upon seeing this. "Säix's had a similar pendant."

"I still don't get it," Demyx said.

"You'll find out later," Axel said as he stood. "Right now, let's get him back to The World That Never Was. Xemnes wants to greet our newest members."

Axel grabbed the man's collar again, and the three of them disappeared in a cloud of darkness.


End file.
